Is there really a significant difference in the viewing quaility between 720 & 1080? Are there other considerations? I'm getting ready to purchase a DLP but I'm still researching the different sets. Pretty decided on either Toshiba or Samsung but my mind is still wet concrete--not totally settled yet. Who else has gone through this maze of selection???

I have the Sanyo Z2 LCD 720P projector and true High Def material is jaw dropping to say the least. I also have a Panasonic S97S HDMI upconverting DVD player which is very popular on AVSforum. 480p over component looks very good, however, when using 720p or 1080i over HDMI, it is better, and at times seems very close to HD, when the DVD is high quality. I perfer 720p mode over 1080i on my DVD player, and also use 720 mode on my Samsung OTA HD tuner.

if your main thing for it is watching dvd's 480p is all you need. theres no upconversion that well make it look any better. If hd tv is what you want then go for the higher res projectors. projector central is a good place to start.

You should also be aware that most of the 1080p sets now available will not take a 1080p signal. I forget which, either the new Hitachi or Mitsubishi 1080p sets is the first that will actually take a 1080p signal. Not a big deal right now because no-one is broadcasting in 1080p. In the future this will not be the case with HD dvd and Blu-ray formats coming out. It still remains to be seen how all this will shake out as well as broadcaters moving to 1080p signals. Kind of the chicken and the egg question. Why broadcast in 1080p when no-one can display it, why make the sets when no-one produces the signal? So we are still not really getting this step fully implemented. If you are really waniting the best display you will probably be looking at upgrading again in the next year or three.

Beyond that there does seem to be some improvement in picture quality with the new 1080p sets from the review I read of the new Mitsubishi 52" set. It will depend somewhat on screen size and viewing idstance as to how much benefit you see.

For my money none of the technologies has matured sufficiently. With the large scale production facilities for flat panels (plasma & LCD) coming on line this year prices are expected to drop steadily and I've seen predictions of the end of rear projection sets alogether. Nothing yet really beats in all respects, the quality picture of the best direct view CRT displays which only go up to 34" in size. So for me, I can get past the likely upgraditis I would experience from almost the day I bought anything on the market today.

The only problem I've had with my Sony XBR960 is when I had to move it up a flight of stairs to my new apartment. It took me and three other guys. Oh man that thing is heavy. Picture quality is great though. I don't thnk CRTs are going to be around much longer. I think I read that Sony lost money this last year on thier CRTs. Don't quote me on that one though.

I disagree with Smokey on this one. 720p and 1080i over HDMI on my Panny S97S DVD Player is much better quality than 480p over component. Also a D/D conversion will be better than D/A - A/D conversion. Personally I prefer the 720p setting over 1080i. Not sure where he can say that no upconversion can improve the quality, there are hundreds of AVS'rs that would also disagree. Granted it is not HD quality, but it visually is obvious the picture is better. I've had lots of company over and everyone has noticed the difference. Now if you have a poor quality DVD, or if you have one of the upconverting DVD players that have had problems with macroblocking, black push, etc... then what he says might be true. I doubt he has personally tested the S97S, but I'm sure he'll say he has.

Cgolf, your best option would be to demo various projectors if possible and make the selection that best works for your needs and makes you happy.

I hate to disagree, but I do. I have the Sanyo Z3 and the Panny S97 connected via HDMI (and component through my receiver).. Anyway, if I run regular DVD through to the projector with my cheap Memorex DVD player that I can switch progressive can on and off, I notice a big difference in the picture quality. With my nice Panny S97, I see an even better improvement from progressive scan to upconverted progressive scan. It is not just marketing trickery. At least with the Panny S97. When I was looking for a nice DVD player, I have heard of mixed results with many of the upconverting DVD players not showing much better of a picture than over regular progressive scan, but (at least with the S97 and Z3 combo) it is significant. I only use regular DVDs at this point. No plans for a VCR or D-VCR, and at some point I will hook up over-the-air HD content, but not yet. HD DVDs will have an impact in the future, but at a starting price of $1000 for a HD-DVD player, I will wait.

Have you seen a different set up that wasn't better? If so, please share so that others know to be aware of it.

cgolf, now be sure that you really mean 1080p and not 1080i... I don't know about 1080p as far as inputs and so forth since my Z3 is 1080i, but for the level of technology, and the lack of input devices that can feed it (from what I have heard), you may be paying too much to be on the "bleeding edge" of the technology. Now if it is 1080i, I would stick with 720p. Alan from Axiom has even gone into it before about the 720p signal feeding more data to the display that the 1080i and it many times gives the appearance of a higher quality image since the 720p imapge is progressive and the 1080i image is not.